1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a composition applicable as a ground covering capable of supporting plant life. Specifically, the invention is an organic composition including a mixture of filtration waste with topsoil, dirt, manure, wood chips, leaves, and/or sand. The filtration waste is a mixture of carbon, diatomaceous earth, and sugar removed from filtering equipment as a waste byproduct after the refinement of raw sugar.
2. Background
Sugar refining is the process whereby high-quality sugars are produced from sugarcane. After sugarcane is harvested, the stalks are crushed to extract juices which are eventually processed into a variety of edible sugars. Bagasse is a fibrous matter that remains after the crushing process. Bagasse is often burned to produce steam that powers the refinery which processes the juices. Bagasse is also used as a composition for conditioning the soil environment around plants to improve the rate and uniformity of plant growth. However, bagasse has a relatively high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio which tends to inhibit plant growth. Therefore, bagasse requires further processing, conditioning, and/or additives to avoid this and other problems associated with its use as a soil supplement.
Sugarcane juices are dried and processed to form a raw sugar, often in the form of a course crystal. The raw sugar is shipped to refineries for processing into a final product, examples including but not limited to granulated sugars, soft brown sugars, and sugar cubes. The raw sugar is affined, melted, clarified, decolorized, and crystallized. Sugar products are dried and packaged for sale.
Affination is the mixing of raw sugar with a warm syrup which removes the molasses coating from the sugar crystals. The syrup and crystals are separated by spinning within a centrifuge, and the crystals are further washed with a water spray. The sugar crystals are then fed into a melter, wherein the crystals are dissolved within hot water to form a liquor. The raw liquor is often clarified via a process which includes either phosphatation or carbonatation.
Phosphatation includes addition of phosphoric acid and lime to the liquor resulting in the formation of calcium phosphate. The liquor is placed in a flotation clarifier which allows the calcium phosphate byproduct to float to the top of the liquor for eventual removal by surface scraping.
Carbonatation includes addition of carbon dioxide gas and lime to the liquor resulting in the formation of calcium carbonate. The liquor is placed in a flotation clarifier which allows the calcium carbonate byproduct to float to the top of the liquor for eventual removal by surface scraping.
It may possible for the calcium phosphate or the calcium carbonate to be filtered from the liquor in addition to or instead of scraping.
The liquor may be decolorized via the addition of carbon adsorbents, examples including but not limited to granular activated carbon and bone charcoal. The liquor is passed through pressure leaf filters which include layers of diatomaceous earth. The filters separate the carbon from the liquor by trapping the carbon within the filters and allowing the liquor to pass through the filters. A portion of the sugar coats or is trapped by the diatomaceous earth, filters, and/or carbon, the latter formed on the filters during filtration. The filters are cleaned to remove the filtration waste, namely, carbon, diatomaceous earth, and sugar.
In other refinement methods, the liquor with or without carbon, is passed through pressure leaf filters which include layers of diatomaceous earth and carbon. The filters separate the carbon, if present, from the liquor by trapping the carbon within the filters and allowing the liquor to pass through the filters. A portion of the sugar coats or is trapped by the diatomaceous earth, filters, and/or carbon. The filters are cleaned to remove the filtration waste, namely, carbon, diatomaceous earth, and sugar.
It is understood that the components of the filtration waste, namely, carbon, diatomaceous earth, and sugar are critical to the present invention. As such, the refinement methodology resulting in the combination of components does not limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the refinement methodologies are in no way limited to the examples provided herein.
Presently, the filtration waste has little or no reuse value and is discarded and often disposed of in a waste disposal site. In view of the deficiencies associated with bagasse as a soil conditioner, it would be highly advantageous if the filtration waste could be used within an organic composition to improve the growth characteristics otherwise achievable with various formulations of topsoil, dirt, manure, wood chips, leaves, and sand.
Therefore, what is required is an organic composition including filtration waste which promotes the growth of plant life whereby the filtration waste is a waste byproduct from the processing of raw sugar.